Addicted To All Things Bookish

Tag: ya

Hi guys! Welcome to my stop on The Female of the Species blog tour, hosted by Irish Banana Tours. I am excited to share my thoughts about this book with you, so that you can run and grab it on release day. This is my favorite McGinnis book, to date. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom, before you go!

For Vân Uoc, fantasies fall into two categories: nourishing or pointless. Daydreaming about attending her own art opening? Nourishing. Daydreaming about Billy Gardiner, star of the rowing team who doesn’t even know she’s alive? Pointless.

So Vân Uoc tries to stick to her reality–keeping a low profile as a scholarship student at her prestigious Melbourne private school, managing her mother’s PTSD from a traumatic emigration from Vietnam, and admiring Billy from afar. Until she makes a wish that inexplicably–possibly magically–comes true. Billy actually notices her. In fact, he seems to genuinely like her. But as they try to fit each other into their very different lives, Vân Uoc can’t help but wonder why Billy has suddenly fallen for her. Is it the magic of first love, or is it magic from a well-timed wish that will eventually, inevitably, come to an end?

Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The thick glass of a mason jar cuts deep, and the pain washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you.

Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.

~Review~

I’ll start by saying that this book may be a trigger for some readers. There’s no shortage of issues in this book, so read at your own risk. It’s dark and gritty, and not what I thought going into it.

It took me roughly 2 days to get through Girl In Pieces. It’s a very heavily issued story; ranging from self harm, abuse, eating disorders, rape, etc… Our main character Charlie, along with side characters, are living in hell. There’s no other way to describe it. Life is tough, but this just felt like too much for anyone to go through. Yet, this is happening all over the world. I love that the author doesn’t gloss over the UGLY. There’s plenty of it to go around.

Charlie’s stream of consciousness is very sad. We get lucid thoughts and actions from her, but her fragmented thoughts also drove the story forward. Those chapters are short, which made the story progress even faster; even though you want to savor every little detail. My favorite parts in the beginning are her interactions with the other girls in the psych hospital. There’s her roommate Louisa, whom is also a cutter. Then there’s Blue, who has quite a mouth on her. She likes to antagonize Charlie, to make her talk. Charlie doesn’t talk the first few weeks that she’s there, but when she starts admitting to herself that she wants to get better and try to move on from what put her there, she finally speaks. Her fears and pain were so very real, and the way that the author characterized self harm in this story is really eye-opening. There were moments when I thought that I needed to just put the book down for a moment.

The second half of the story is Charlie trying to put her life back together after she’s discharged. It was very hard. Just when I was thinking that life for Charlie was going to be all rainbows and sunshine, here comes an asshole. More than that, though, is Charlie’s craving for normal. She wants her life back the way it was before her dad died. She misses her best friend, Ellis’, touch. She wants Mikey to love her like he loves Ellis. It was just all written so boldly, and I admire the author for that.

I highly recommend this book. It’s not just about cutting. Please don’t think that it’s all about cutting.

~Giveaway~

I ended up with 2 ARCs of Girl In Pieces, so I feel it is my duty to share this story with one of you lucky readers. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form. This giveaway is US only. Sorry INT readers. I will have a giveaway for you guys soon.

must be a US resident

must be 13 years or older

winner will have 48 hrs. to reply to my email, or another winner will be chosen

Posts navigation

Social

Hello & Welcome To My Blog

I love to read, drink coffee, eat pickles and I'm determined to watch every movie that was made before 1981. I'm sort of an introvert, and I stay to myself. People in this world are cruel, so I'll just let them have it. I prefer fictional worlds and it's inhabitants!! Catch me watching Game of Thrones!

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.